Creole Corn Bisque

This soup sounds really weird, but trust me, it's amazing! It has a bit of heat to it, thanks to the large amount of black pepper. Some folks add seafood to this...crab, shrimp, etc., but this is a vegetarian version. I first had this at the Selin's Grove Brewing Company and fell in love with it. An internet search guided me here to what I assume is the original recipe.

Vegetarian Creole Corn Bisque

1-1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1-1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1-1/2 cups celery, chopped
1/2 cups dry sherry
3 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 bay leaf
2 quarts vegetable stock
1 cup heavy cream (I used 1 cup evaporated milk with excellent results)
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped (I used 1 teaspoon dried tarragon)
scallions and red bell pepper for garnish

Heat oil in stockpot and saute onioin, carrot and celery until soft. Add sherry and reduce by 1/2. Add corn, bay leaf and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 30 minutes or until veggies are tender.

Puree soup in a blender or food processor and return to clean stockpot. Add cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add tarragon and serve.

**Add more corn prior to serving to give soup a slightly "chunky" texture.

Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry muffin straight out of the oven. Toodie, AKA Blueberry Muffin, looks on in anticipation.

Fresh blueberry muffin with coffee (putting in a good word for Life Flight here)

I'm constantly searching for healthy treats, and stumbled across a recipe for Coconut Flour Blueberry Muffins here. I've altered the recipe ever so slightly; they're delicious!

COCONUT FLOUR BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

3 large eggs
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 Tablespoons coconut milk
2 Tablespoons agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup fresh/frozen blueberries (more or less to your liking)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare muffin tins (use muffin papers)...this recipe will make 8 muffins.

Combine wet ingredients with salt and blend well. Add coconut flour with baking powder, then add to wet ingredients and blend until there are no longer lumps. Gently fold in blueberries (make sure they're not too wet if frozen). I added the blueberries to the batter while they were still frozen...just stir them in well right away so they don't become a frozen mass in the batter.

Pour batter into prepared muffin tins. You can fill the muffin papers fairly full as the muffins don't rise too drastically. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until done.

Avocado-Pecan "Hummus"

Avocado-Pecan "Hummus"

This recipe couldn't be easier, and it's loaded with good fats and nutrients...a raw/vegan/vegetarian dream. You can use this as a dip/hummus, or use it as a spread/mayo on sandwiches.


AVOCADO-PECAN "HUMMUS"

1 cup pecans
2 avocados
2-3 Tablespoons flax oil
Juice of 1 lemon (or lime).
Salt to taste

Chop pecans in a food processor until mealy. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more oil or water if you want a thinner consistency. Salt to taste. I used fresh-squeezed lemon juice in this batch of "hummus", but I think lime would be even more perfect.